Too Late Now
by witchrose
Summary: The battle on the steps of Erebor has been fought and won and the Dwarves of the company are content, that is until Gandalf appears, frantically searching for their missing burglar. AU In that Thorin/Filli/Killi live Fem!Bilbo
1. Chapter 1

A fierce battle was raging on the steps of Erebor, a battle of five armies and in the midst of this battle was a she-hobbit, one Billa Baggins by name. Unseen by the enemy she rushed about slicing the legs of Orcs and Goblins with Sting, felling them to the ground before finishing their pitiful lives with a blood-lust previously unknown to Hobbit-kind.

Stopping to catch her breath, Billa glanced upward, praying to Yavanna that her companions would survive, suddenly she gave a cry, for she had seen a sight which made her heart beat strong against her chest.

'The Eagles are coming, the Eagles are coming!' She shouted, trying to make herself heard above the din of clashing steel. Surely this would be their salvation, the coming of the Eagles would ensure a triumph over the host of orcs and goblins who had sieged the great mountain.

'The Eagles! Look! The Eagles!' Her cry was soon taken up and repeated, her words spanning the length of the valley, bringing hope to those still fighting.

Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, of the Durin line heard the call and it gave him the strength to cleave the head of the pale orc Azog from its shoulders, just as an arrow loosed from Killi's bow found its way into the skull of Bolg, killing him instantly.

Unfortunately for Billa, whilst garnering hope for the light, her call drew the attention of the enemy. Her third cry of 'The Eagles!' was cut short as a black arrow pierced the flesh of her leg, the barbs buried deep, stumbling blindly, her head struck a sharp rock and Billa Baggins knew no more.

The arrival of the Eagles had signalled the turning point of the battle and within no time at all the remaining orcs and goblins were being chased down and killed.

Later that evening the thirteen dwarves of the company of Thorin Oakenshield were gathered in the King's tent, relieved as they were in the idea that they had all survived with minimal injuries, true Killi would always walk with a limp and Ori would have to find a new occupation, a missing hand made writing difficult, they were exhausted and in pain, grieving for those lost, but they were more or less in one piece, and for that they were happy.

That happiness was shattered the moment Gandalf strode into their tent, blood-stained and dirty with a desperate yet hopeful look on his face.

'Have you seen my burglar?'

The answering blankness on the faces of the dwarves served as his answer, and any hope he had held in his heart died.

The dwarves turned to each other in confusion 'was not she sent back to lake-town when the fighting commencing?' Bofur piped.

The wizard shook his head in sadness, his shoulders slumped 'Have you ever known our burglar to do anything we told her to without a fight?' a wry smile crossed his face, in marked contrast to the tears making their way down his cheeks 'she would help, that fool of a Took would not miss the fight, ran straight in with her letter opener shining, she hasn't been seen since, we found this however'.

A piece of cloth was thrown towards them and caught by Dwalin, who spread it out on the ground for all to see, though the material was rent and heavily stained with blood and gore, each dwarf recognised it for what it was, Billa's red coat.


	2. Chapter 2

Bofur stood abruptly and rushed to the tent's entrance, followed closely by Bifur and then Gandalf, the others watched them go.

'They'll take it hard if she's gone' whispered Bombur

'What do you mean gone!' screeched Kili, raising himself into an upright position on his cot 'She can't be just gone! Billa always makes it back to us! Remember the goblin caves? She wouldn't leave us, would she? We'll just have to follow her and bring her back'

'That's not what Bombur meant laddie' murmured Balin ' She might have gone someplace that we cannae drag her back from, she hasn't left us to go back to that cosy smial of hers' he breathed deeply, a hollow rattling sound 'look at her wee coat, if that bloods hers, it's doubtful she will survive very much longer without medical care'

Kili paled as the older Dwarf's implication hit him 'Then we shall have to go find her and bring her to Oin. I'll do it myself' and with this pronouncement the dwarf princeling launched himself off the low cot and stumbled forward only to be wrenched back after a couple of paces.

'you are going nowhere' rumbled his Uncle, pushing him back towards the cot

'but Uncle, Billa is our friend! Our ally! I know she took the Arkenstone but surely you can forget that until she is found, she's out they somewhere hurt and …' Here he was interrupted quite harshly 'That is not what I meant' roared Thorin 'I only meant that you should not go, neither should Ori' he nodded at the young scribe 'The wounded should stay here, the rest of the company will look for our burglar' here he quietened 'did you really think that I would deny the hobbit aid?' he questioned, gazing upon the remaining company. The Dwarrow shifted uncomfortably 'you did say she was banished and that no friendship of yours went with her'

At this point the tent flap was drawn back and Bifur re-entered, obviously in a rage, his fingers trembled with suppressed anger as he signed in the secret language of the Dwarves. _What are you still doing discussing when we should be searching? Bofur is the only one… Dain's men will not search…Billa deemed a traitor…come help now!_

With a final flourish he turned and headed back the way he came. As one the Dwarrow in the tent ordered rose to follow him. 'Stop!' ordered Thorin 'we need a plan of action!, Balin, go spread the word amongst the ranks that the charges against the burglar have been over-turned, Ori and Kili, stay here, do not move from this tent! Oin, remain with them and prepare to treat our Burglar should she be found, the rest of you… follow Bifur'

In the end it was Fili who found her, he received quite a shock when he tripped over something that did not appear to be there. He almost moved on before he remembered the existence of Billa's magic ring and its propensity to render her unseen. He dropped to his knees in the dirt, arms extended, hoping and yes, there it was, something soft and pliable and vaguely hobbit shaped, but cold – far too cold.

He looked up and on finding that Bofur was the nearest of the company nearby, called out to him. He then returned his attention to the invisible hobbit.

He cautiously slid his hands along her arm til they reached her small hand, he found the ring and removed it.

What he saw took the air from his lungs and he choked back a sob. Billa lay in the mud, eyes closed tight, her face crusted with blood, the same blood matting her tawny hair and the barbs of an orcish arrow sticking out of her leg, she was still – far too still for his liking. He lowered his ear to her mouth and peered along her chest, there was a slight rise and fall, almost hardly noticeable and he could hear a slow, shallow rasping as breath was sucked into her lungs.

'Billa?' He questioned … no response … he had to get her to a healer, preferably to Oin.

He struggled out of his coat, bundling her up in it and pressing her to his chest. 'It will be alright Billa, I've got you now, you're safe' he mumbled the assurances, more for himself that for his cargo. Stumbling to his feet he lurched forward towards camp, wanting to hurry but unwilling to run should it cause any damage.

'Oh Mahal!' Bofur, on hearing the Prince's cry had hurried over, picking his way across remains of the battlefield, only to stop when he saw what lay in Fili's arms.

'She's not….?' Bofur trailed off, clutching the sides of his hat in despair

'No, she's still breathing, barely, but just, run ahead and tell Oin I've got her, mention that she has a head wound and an Orcish arrow piercing her leg, non-responsive but breathing'

'Aye! I'll let the Wizard know too!' and with that Bofur rushed off in the direction of the Dwarven camps leaving Fili to shoulder his burden alone.


	3. Chapter 3

The tent in empty, save for Oin and a sleeping Kili when Fili enters. He places her on the empty cot as indicated by Oin before straightening.

'Is there anything I can do? Please, I cannot be idle with her lying there'

'Aye Lad, go tell the others she's been found'

Fili goes to leave the tent but as soon as he lifts the tent flap, Oin gives out a shout of dismay 'Fili! Fili! Get back here' his voice cracking in distress, Fili turns to find the healer pushing on Billa's chest 'Wha…..?'

'She's not breathing Lad, you'll have to breathe for her, tilt her head back, hold her mouth open and breath when I tell you too'

Fili places his hand on her chin and gently pries open her mouth, resting his other hand on her forehead he looks doubtfully at Oin ' I'm not sure what I'm …' 'put your mouth on hers lad, almost like kissing like, and breathe' Fili does as he is told, ignoring the bitter, metallic taste of the dried blood on her lips. After a few rounds of the not-kissing and Oin rhythmic pumping of Billa's chest, the hobbit begins once again to breathe on her own, albeit shallowly. In all the fuss Kili has awoken and even he has no cheeky remark to quip at the sight of his brother's lips meeting those of the hobbit, he just gazes, horrified, at the black barb buried deep in their burglars leg.

Kili watches as Gandalf enters the tent and stops when he sees the burglar laid out on the cot 'Bilberry Baggins… you fool of a Took…' He watches as Bofur sits in the dust beside Billa's cot and strokes the back of her hand, tears in his eyes as Gandalf and Oin work to remove the arrow from the hobbits leg. Unfortunately the arrow head is shaped so that is cannot simply be pulled out but must be pushed the whole way through the leg. Billa, although still unconscious, screams. It is a sound Kili never wishes to hear again.

Oin holds a poultice to the wound to draw out any infection, before wrapping the leg. He calls Fili over to raise Billa into a sitting position so an antidote to the common Orcish poisons can be poured down her throat before sending him back out once again to alert the rest of the company to the hobbit's being found.

The tent is silent, as if it's remaining occupants are counting Billa's shallow rasping breaths. It is then that Bofur notices. Billa's tawny locks, which had grown over the course of their adventure and which none of the Dwarrow would condone her cutting, even going as far as to have Nori steal her scissors, have been shorn close to her head, the uneven strands stuck to her head with dried blood.

'Gandalf, who did this!' Bofur demanded, shaking with indignation

'She did it herself Master Dwarf'

At that the wind left Bofur's sails and Kili gasped, mouth gaping like a fish 'but… but we told her what hair meant to Dwarrow'

'Aye, and to a hobbit, to whom family is tantamount, to be rejected by ones kin is to feel the deepest of shames, it is little wonder that she wished that shame to be expressed in the ways of the dwarrow, as it was dwarrow who rejected her'

'But we didn't reject her!' shouted Kili 'Only Thorin did and he was…'

'not himself' interjected Bofur ' Thorin was not himself , he wouldn't have a acted so if he were in his right mind'

Gandalf stood and drew himself up to his full height 'but Billa did not know that, did she? The way she told it and the way I saw it, not one of you moved to defend her when Thorin had her dangled over the edge of your precious mountain, if that is not rejection, then I don't know what is!' The expression on the face of the wizard was one of contempt as both dwarves hung their heads and Oin's hands trembled as he tended to the small Hobbit.

Gandalf strode towards the tent entrance 'unless my ears deceive me, the rest of your company is coming' and sure enough the sound of running feet could be heard 'I am going to ask Thranduil to come attend our burglar… no, none of that' he admonished, seeing the looks of disgust on the faces of Kili and Bofur and the look of outrage on Oins 'Hobbits are anatomically quite similar to Elves, if anyone is best suited to look after my Burglar, it is the Elves'

And with that Gandalf swept aside the tent flap and strode out without acknowledging the rest of the company who filed into the tent as he left.

Several weeks pass and Billa had yet to awaken. Oin is flummoxed as are the Elven healers Thranduil provides, outwardly her wounds were healing, the skin knitting together to form pearly scars on her face and leg, yet she remained unconscious. As the weather began to get colder and the skies to darken, the unconscious hobbit was moved to a set of rooms in the mountain, each of the dwarves of the company, although preoccupied with the rebuilding of their mountain home, would take the time to sit with their burglar, hoping that a familiar presence would speed her recovery.

Kili and Fili would attempt to braid her now short curls. Ori read her his account of their adventure. Bifur would sit and whittle away at a piece of wood whilst humming lullabies in Khuzdul. Balin would regale her with tales of the council meetings, chuckling to himself at the antics of the elvish Prince Legolas. Gloin sits and tells her of his family, his wife and son have begun the journey to Erebor, he tells her, hoping that she would awaken before their arrival. Bombur tells her of his kitchen in Erebor and of his pride at his new position of head chef, when she wakes she must teach him how to make the honey cakes he had tasted at Bag End . Dori sits and embroiders, when Billa wakes she will have a set of beautifully embroidered handkerchiefs. Dwalin does not sit, but rather stands to attention at the hobbits bedside, as if to shield her from unseen foes. Bofur sits on the edge of her bed, unlike the others who sit in a chair beside it, stroking her hair with his gnarled miners hands, crooning softly. Nori just sits, not saying a word, but things keep making their way into the Hobbits room, one day there is a new rug on the floor, the next a gilded mirror on the wall, flowers in a priceless looking vase, no one asks where they come from, each knows they each have different mechanisms for coping.

Thorin comes when he has time away from meetings, as king he is much in demand. He kneels by the Hobbit's bedside, his face drawn, features heavy with sorrow. A king does not kneel before anyone and yet the mighty Thorin Oakenshield kneels before the prone form of this small creature. Dori walked in on this scene once, so naturally, the whole mountain knows. Some dwarrow speculate that he kneels in prayer, only the company knows that the first time Thorin saw their burglar, so still and unmoving, her tawny curls so short, his knees gave way and he continues to adopt that position each time he visits, out of shame.


	4. Chapter 4

As the leaves begin to fall and the nights turn colder a meeting between Man, Dwarf, Wizard and Elf is called, surprisingly enough by the Elven King. When all were seated around the stone table in one of Erebor's meeting halls, Thranduil spoke, "I have requested that this meeting be arranged to discuss the treatment of your periannath"

Silence

"Our what?" piped Ori from half-way down the table

"your hobbit, Master Dwarf" spoke Gandalf "periannath is the Elvish term for a hobbit, it appears Lord Thranduil would like to discuss the welfare of Miss Baggins"

"That I would, and if you would keep interruptions to a minimum, I will proceed." The Elven King gazed at each of those sitting at the table as if in silent challenge before starting again, "It has come to my attention and to the healers assigned to the hobbit that Miss Baggins is not recovering" a sob was heard on Thranduil's left, he was about to continue when there was the sound of ripping fabric and he noticed the hatted dwarf passing a scrap of what appeared to be his tunic to the small Dwarf next to him. "As I said, Miss Baggins does not appear to be improving and there is little more my healers can do for her. That does not however mean that there is nothing more that can be done" He added when the faces of the assembled Dwarrow fell.

"I have requested the aid of the Elves of Rivendell and I am in receipt of an answer, Lord Elrond cannot leave Rivendell at this time but has offered his hospitality to the hobbit, he is the most renowned of Elven healers and will see to her care personally"

Thorin had been listening the Elf-Kings speech with a growing sense of unease. He knew that Billa's condition was not improving, if anything he would say it was getting worse, each time he visited her small face would look a little more wan, her figure a little more frail, but he was loathe to relinquish her to the care of some far-away Elf. He half-opened his mouth to chastise the Elf for suggesting such a foolish notion when the voice of Oin rang through the chamber.

"Elrond is familiar with the ways of Hobbits, is he not?"

"I believe so, The Shire is close enough to merit interaction between the two races, Lord Elrond has mentioned a previous acquaintance with Miss Baggins' mother"

"and the journey there would not be too stressful on her, in her current state?"

Here Gandalf spoke from beside the Elf-King "I doubt any journey can be as stressful as your journey to this mountain Master Dwarf" he chuckled, glancing around at the assembled Dwarrow, but then his demeanour sobered and his breath hitched "The Journey will be rough, but as I see it, there is no other option. If left to continue like this our Miss Baggins will not live through the coming Winter"

"Then she must go" spoke Bofur quietly

The sentiment was echoed by the Dwarrow of the company with many an "aye" and a few sniffles, coming from, rather surprisingly, the large mountain that was Dwalin.

Thranduil's normally harsh gaze softened at this display of not only good sense, but also of emotion from the usual stoic Dwarrow "The journey will be somewhat taxing for Miss Baggins but myself, Mithrandir and Lord Elrond have devised a plan to minimise any discomfort on her part" Here Thranduil paused, cocking his head to one side as he surveyed the Dwarrow.

This scrutiny did not sit well with the Dwarrow, especially not with their King "and are we entitled to know the details of this plan Elf?" He asked, his voice rolling over the last word as if to convey insult "Miss Baggins is afterall, our Burglar".

"Ah" spoke Gandalf "There is where you are in fact wrong, Thorin Oakenshield"

"I am not sure I understand" , neither did the rest of the Dwarrow appear to, confusion lacing their brows

"The contract stated that Miss Baggins was a member of the company up until the Dragon was defeated and her 14th share paid. Her share has been distributed between King Thranduil and the people of Lake Town, therefore she is not as you say 'your burglar'.She is simply Billa Baggins, a hobbit."

At this the Dwarrow turned to Balin, who had already removed the contract from his satchel and had it spread over his end of the table "It's true, what Gandalf says, We can no longer technically call the lassie ours"

"Yet" continued Gandalf "There is one amongst you, or maybe three, I am not entirely sure, who may yet claim kinship with the hobbit"

The Dwarrow stared suspiciously at each other across the stone table, much to the amusement of the Elf-King.

"I speak of course, of Bofur"

"Me"

"Him!" was the shout from the dwarrow

"Bofur, might I have a look at your wrist" Bofur duly presented his sword arm. "not that one you foolish dwarf! The other one!" Bofur stretched forward his left hand and pulled back the sleeve revealing to the others a bracelet woven of grass "It is as I suspected then"

"What is as you suspected Gandalf?" cried Bofur impatiently

"You Dwarrow do not know much of Hobbit custom, do you?" The assembled Dwarrow shook their heads, with the exception of Bofur, Ori, Nori and rather surprisingly Bifur.

Bombur turned to his cousin and said in khuzdul _"How do you know of Hobbit culture, you could not even speak to the lass?"_

The axe headed dwarf replied teary eyed _"When the lass was home-sick she would talk and I would listen. It is hardly my fault if none of you did"_

"Hobbit's value family above all else" spoke Gandalf softly, prompting the Dwarrow to grow silent in an effort to hear "They enjoy large families, mostly because they breed like rabbits" here he gave a wheezy chuckle "but also through the process of adoption. If a Hobbit has no family, they simply find one they like and adopt themselves into it, it is all rather confusing and rather hard to keep track of, in fact I remember I story Belladonna Baggins told me once about her great uncle Fortinbras the first… well never mind" he finished, seeing the blank stares on the faces of his audience "It appears however, that Billa chose you, Bofur son of Bofar, to be her new family. This bracelet she gave you names you as her brother in all but blood"

Bofur stroked the finely woven grass tearfully "Her Nadad…. I didn't know" grief turned to horror as he remembered doing nothing as Thorin attempted to throw the small hobbit off the mountain gate, he remembered her eye catching his beseechingly and he did nothing, he did nothing as Thorin banished her. The Dwarf broke down and cried, heavy sobs racked his body until multiple ripping sounds grabbed his attention and what appeared to be a piece of tunic from every dwarf in the room was shoved into his hands .

At this Bofur straightened and looked the Elf-King in the eye "Billa shall go to Rivendell ….. and I….." he continued, glancing to his brother and cousin " I shall go with her"


	5. Chapter 5

The night before Billa's departure from Erebor each of the Dwarrow gather to bid their burglar and their Bofur farewell. Eerily reminiscent of their impromptu party in Bag –End Thorin is the last to arrive, he is also the first to leave much to the chagrin of the others. Unbeknownst to the Dwarrow however, Thorin returns when the torches and the oil lamps are burning low and gazes on the small figure of the company burglar.

There is a saying amongst some that you do not truly know the worth of something until you believe it lost. Billa had been lost to Thorin from the moment he allowed the gold-sickness to cloud his better judgement and from the moment he regained his senses he had been feeling that loss keenly.

Thorin gazed upon the small figure of the hobbit and remembered how the small lass had blossomed from a shy fumbling grocer into a confident young woman, an asset to their company and a friend. His memories played in sharp contrast with the small creature lying on the bed before him caused a sharp pain in his chest and the sense of what this hobbit-lass was to him struck him keenly through the pain.

He knew that should she only survive then he would prostrate himself at her feet and beg her forgiveness. He would grant her anything, should it be the loss of his beard, to half his Kingdom.

It was there in the wee hours of the morning that Thorin, son of Thrain, King under the Mountain realised that he loved the hobbit-lass known as Billberry Baggins and swore to himself that he would do anything and everything in his power to see her smile again, even if those smiles were never to be directed at himself.

The caravan conveying Billa and Bofur to Rivendell was to leave at first-light however the farewell giving by the assembled Dwarrow took a bit longer than expected, so second-light would have to do.

The elven escort was getting impatient to leave when Ori quietly took Bofur to the side. He pulled a package from the satchel by his side and pushed it into Bofur's hands "For Billa" he said at Bofur's cocked eyebrow "For when she wakes" His mouth set into a hopeful smile, which quickly turned to an expression of alarm when Bofur began to open the clumsily wrapped package "No!, do not open it here" He cried "we cannot let the others see… it is to be a secret. I will be in such trouble when Thorin and Balin find out".

This admission gave Bofur an inkling of what the package contained and he smirked "If they haven't noticed it already I doubt they will any time soon, it seems you've learnt a few tricks from that pointy-haired brother of yours"

"Perhaps" returned Ori with a smile before leaning forward and touching his forehead to Bofur's "Keep her safe and convince her to return to us"

"I shall try my hardest"

With that Bofur climbed into the back of the caravan and watched as the lonely mountain that held his kin and friends grew steadily smaller until it was no more than a pinprick upon the horizon. He turned his attention to the hobbit woman lying next to him in the caravan and prayed to any deity that would hear his pleas, that his friend would live.


	6. Chapter 6

When winter fell, construction on the city of Dale slowed almost to a stand still as heavy snowfall made even the most menial tasks impossible. As King, Thorin had offered the hospitality of the mountain to the people of Lake Town and Dale during the winter months, an offer he was now regretting.

Word of the Dragon's defeat had spread prompting the return of Dwarrow from all corners of Middle Earth, including Thorin's sister. Between the influx of Dwarrow and the refugees from Lake Town, Erebor was full to the point of bursting.

Between heckling from his sister, who had not forgiven him for Kili's injury, meetings with his grandfather's advisors, supervising the restoration of Erebor from the inside and settling disputes arising due to cultural differences , Thorin was finding himself spread very thin with nary a moment to himself. It is only when Dis finds him asleep at his desk one day that he is offered some reprieve "go rest in your chambers, I'll head them off" she says, noticing the dark rings under her brother's eyes.

But when Thorin reaches his rooms, he finds himself wide-awake despite the fatigue he felt when poring over trade agreements. He decides, that instead of sleeping, He shall sketch. One of the few personal luxuries Thorin allowed himself on the quest to regain Erebor was his sketch book and charcoal. From a young age Thorin found peace and contentment within the pages of his sketchbook and whenever he had time he would add to the growing number of drawings therein.

However, now, when Thorin most needed peace and contentment, his sketchbook was not to be found. He found some of the books pages on a shelf in the corner of the room, how they got there, he did not know. Perhaps he had moved them in his gold-madness? Thorin had often found himself losing hours when under the thrall of gold, perhaps he had moved it.

It is only when Thorin looks at the papers he has found more closely that they reveal a common theme. They are all pictures of her. During the course of their adventure Thorin had sketched each of the company several times, but none so often as Billa. Then he would tell himself that her features were newer to him than the others and therefore more interesting, now he realises that it was just his heart trying to speak through the medium of charcoal and paper. He examines each of the portraits carefully, dwelling on the soft curve of her neck, the way her eyelashes brush her cheeks when she looks towards the floor, the dimple that appears in her chin when she smiles.

That is how Dis finds him later, sitting on the floor surrounded by pictures of a pointy eared lass "So this is the hobbit?"

"aye" replies Thorin with a chuckle "This is our burglar"

"You care for the lass?"

"Of course" replies her brother, looking up at her from his place on the floor with something akin to anguish written across his face.

"Still no word from Bofur?"

"No word from Bofur"

The caravan left near on two months ago and yet no word from the hatted dwarf had reached the King Under the Mountain.

"Perhaps the Ravens cannot get through in this weather, it would not be the first time"

"Perhaps"

Sick of receiving answers that parroted her questions the Lady Dis tried another track of thought to lead her brother in conversation "I am very curious about your journey, I have heard snippets about it from each of your company but no one seems to be able to tell me the full story. Bombur talks about the lack of supplies, Dwalin about the fighting, Dori of the fashions and Oin of the injuries sustained but no one covers all aspects"

"Have you spoken to Fili and Kili?"

"Of course I have" bristled Dis "did you think I would not talk to my sons? You know they do not pay attention to the important things. Kili keeps mooning over that Elf-maid and Fili keeps moaning about apples. They are as empty-headed as you were at that age"

At this Thorin took offense "I was not…."

"Oh yes you were, Frerin used to swear that if we hit your head with a rock all we would hear would be an hollow ringing sound" at this Dis stuck out her tongue, pleased that she could still bait her brother out of his brooding.

No matter how many years passed, Dis still proved herself the annoying little sister from time to time. "Get ye gone wretch" He said with a smile "Talk to Ori, he wrote an account of our travels, it encompasses much, it is a pity about his hand, he could have made a truly excellent Royal scribe"

"You mean the small one with the bowl-like-hair"

"Aye"

"I'm sure he will make a wonderful scribe all the same, when I spoke to him he was practising with his remaining hand and it looked much better than when I write with my dominant hand"

"Your script has always been terrible, so that's not saying much" joked Thorin

"Tis much better than yours" was the rejoinder he received "I spoke to the lad Thorin and he said that I could not read the account"

"Did he give a reason?"

"No, he was very apologetic and rather distressed but could not give me a reason, more skirted the issue"

Thorin sighed "Perhaps the lad is feeling some anxiety about his hand, I shall talk to him about it"

"Do" said his sister "and in the meantime, for Mahal's sake Thorin, set some rest! You cannot rule a kingdom if you are not well rested"

"Yes amad"

The audience with Ori did not go quite as Thorin has planned. He recruited Balin and Bifur to talk to the lad. Balin due to his work as a scribe and Bifur due to his experience with an inhibiting injury. Although it turned out that Ori was reconciled with the loss of his hand.

"My hand?" said the small dwarf confusedly

"Is the loss of your hand troubling you? We will not censure you, we seek only to help" said Thorin, placing his hand on the scribes shoulder. This statement was followed by a nodding of the head from booth Bifur and Balin "Aye laddie, we can help you through it, soon you will be up to your old standard" encouraged Balin.

At this, Ori burst out laughing. He laughed and laughed, puzzling the Dwarrow who had appointed themselves his counsellors.

"You meant to tell me" choked Ori, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes "That after almost a year on the road together, after almost a decade as your apprentice Balin, that none of you have noticed that I am ambidextrous?"

"Ambi-what now?" queried Thorin

"able to use both hands with equal skill" returned Balin

"Oh"

"Oh indeed" choked Ori "To think you didn't notice… Billa noticed the day we me…." Ori trailed off

Balin felt a bit the fool, he had seen the boy write almost every day for a decade but had never noticed the quirk in his style , "In that case lad, why did you refuse to let the Lady Dis read your account of our Journey, if it was not due to anxiety over your hand"

Ori dipped his head and looked at his feet, mumbling

"_What's that lad_?" questioned Bifur in his rumbling Khuzdul "Our ears are not on your feet"

"It's not here"

"Where is it then? If not here"

"Rivendell"

"Rivendell!" burst out Thorin, "the only full account of our Journey to reclaim our mountain and you gave it to those…. To those tree-shaggers!" Thorin stood and advanced towards the now trembling Ori before he was grabbed from behind by a pair of strong arms.

"_Do not be so hasty Thorin_" rumbled Bifur "Have you ever known our Ori to rush into something without thought?" Thorin considered this and could not recall a time in their acquaintance when Ori had shown anything less than stellar judgement, this must have shown in his demeanour because Bifur continued "_let Ori explain, you can be angry at him once he has had a chance to defend himself"_

At this all three Dwarrow turned and looked at Ori.

"I did not give it to the… to the Elves" stuttered the smaller Dwarf "I gave it to Bofur".

This puzzled each of the others considerably as it was a well known fact amongst the company that Bofur, although skilled in many other worthwhile pursuits, had similar reading skills to a Dwarrowling.

"Why to Bofur?"

"For Billa" mumbled the scribe, when he saw the blank looks on the faces of Thorin, Balin and Bifur he smiled sadly "None of you spoke to Oin did you? Or the Elven healers?" The faces continued blank "I am sure you were more busy with other things" he shrugged sadly "Bofur wasn't though, the mines aren't open yet and as Billa's brother he wanted to know as much about her condition as possible so he asked Oin and…. and ….." Ori looked up at the others, his eyes conveying utter anguish "He was so upset, so I made him tell me"

"Tell you what?" Asked Thorin, a sense of newly awakened dread constricting his heart

Ori turned to Bifur "Bifur, could you please explain the troubles you had after your head injury, aside from the obvious"

"_Aside from the obvious….. Let me think…. It is such a long time ago now… I experienced dizziness and migraines and… and…"_ realisation dawned on Bifur's face and he looked at Ori in abject horror

_"No!"_ he roared

"Yes" replied Ori tearily

"What?" roared Thorin, the tension becoming unbearable to him

"_and memory loss"_ whispered the axe headed Dwarf "_entire years gone in the blink of an eye"_ here Bifur drew a deep breath, his voice coming out strained and mournful "_what Ori is trying to say is… If our Hobbit survives, she may need the account because she may not remember the journey herself… She may not remember anything but her quiet hobbit-smial and her hobbit way of life – our journey and we ourselves may be erased from her memory." _

Authors note:

Mwah hah hah hah hah

cliff hanger

Did you guys guess what Ori had given Bofur? (there was something else in the package but I won't tell you what it is yet)

Thank you for your reviews they are much appreciated :) it's nice to know you are doing something relatively right. Also if anyone has any advice I'd be grateful, I'm sort of winging it as I go along :P

Also I'm going away for a week or so and may not be able to write (because I'll be having too much fun)

Thanks again

Witchrose


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